TORONTO — The first time Tessa Di Matteo walked into the Rogers Centre, she felt it — the wide expanse of the diamond, the bright lights, and the roar of the fans. Although she didn't feel like a spectator, she knew she was destined for more.

"Every time I walked into the Rogers Centre, I got chills, every single time," said Di Matteo. "And I was like, I want to work here. This is where I want to be."

But long before she picked up a microphone or stood in front of a camera, Di Matteo picked up a glove. Her edge in sports media didn't originate in the classroom; it began on the field.

Growing up in Etobicoke, Ont., Di Matteo tried it all. She played a variety of recreational sports such as dance, gymnastics and soccer, but nothing stuck. 

She didn't just want to play a sport, she wanted to compete. In order to do that, she knew she had to truly love it. 

Growing up a devoted Toronto Blue Jays fan, Di Matteo was fascinated by baseball and began to feel that it was the sport meant for her. However, with no girls' baseball leagues nearby, her mom signed her up for a recreational house-league slow-pitch team instead. 

It didn't take long for Di Matteo to enjoy it: "I just immediately fell in love with the sport."

Her love quickly translated to talent. Within a season, she moved to fast-pitch and then joined a competitive travel team. For the past eight years, she has played with the Etobicoke Mayhem, growing into the athlete she is today.

As she began exploring universities, she realized her potential as a player and also looked at softball programs within them.

"That's kind of when I realized, wow, I could probably go post-secondary with this," said Di Matteo.

Yet, she refused to choose a school based solely on athletics. She knew her future was in sport, but potentially beyond playing on the field.

"My mom always told me when you love what you do, you won't work a day in your life," said Di Matteo. "And so I knew, I don't know exactly where I'm going to end up, but I know that I want to go into the sports industry."

That clarity led her to the RTA Sport Media program at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
 
Before her first year, she reached out to TMU head coach Jason Saker to ask about joining the team.

Saker then went to watch one of her games during the summer and got a feel for Di Matteo as a player. 

"He kind of said, 'We'll still go through with the trial process, but I think we have a spot on the team here for you,'" said Di Matteo.

Now, having completed her third year on the team, Di Matteo says the culture is what keeps her coming back.

"From the moment I started, every single person on the team has been so welcoming."

In contrast to her Tier 1 squad, university softball blends athletes from different competitive backgrounds.

"That's kind of the beauty of it is that you just come together and you play together."

Balancing life as a full-time student, varsity athlete, and emerging sports media professional isn't easy. 

"Working in sports is a lot of you finding opportunities and putting yourself out there," said Di Matteo. "It's definitely, a lot of planning, a lot of organizing your time."

Support from teammates, friends and family is what has kept her going along the way. It's the core memories like traveling to the diamond, road trips, and overnight stays that make it all worth it.

"I think that's just something about that experience. That doesn't change no matter what age you are," said Di Matteo.

Now entering her fourth year, Di Matteo hopes to give first-years the same sense of belonging she felt.

 "That's kind of what kept me coming back every single year is that team chemistry," said Di Matteo.

Her two worlds of playing and working in sports began to merge in the summer of 2025, when she landed a video production internship with the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Eager to get some industry experience, Di Matteo was scrolling online when she stumbled upon the job posting. She applied, had an interview and was then hired.

What began as an internship became a turning point in Di Matteo's journey.

She shot field-level footage, edited hype videos, captured B-roll photography and had the opportunity to pitch her own ideas.

"I'd go to the ballpark a little earlier when they're doing batting practice and I'd pull players. My friend and I would film little videos for social media, like asking them random questions to make filler content," said Di Matteo.
 
One of the biggest lessons she gathered from the experience was that working in sports media is never straight forward: "If you want to work in sports, you kind of have to pave your own way, it's not always going to be linear. You have to work for it."

It was her background as an athlete that gave her the instinct to excel in her internship role.

"When I'm photographing baseball players, I know the moments that I need to look for. I know exactly how you're going to swing and like the kind of picture I want," said Di Matteo.

Being an athlete also shaped her mindset working in sports.

"I think day in, day out, you don't get the shot you want. You go back out the next day and you take a million more until you get the perfect one," said Di Matteo. 

Softball and sport media, she's learned, both require reps. 

That summer, she watched Blue Jays stars like Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, George Springer and Alejandro Kirk rehab with the Bisons. She was no longer just a fan in the stands but rather a part of the team documenting some of her favourite players.

The girl who once walked into the Rogers Centre with chills now walks onto diamonds with experience and ambition. 

One day, she hopes to stand on the Rogers Centre field, not with a glove but a microphone, following in the footsteps of female sports media trailblazers like Hazel Mae.

"I want to be the on-field reporter for the Toronto Blue Jays," said Di Matteo. 

She's no longer just dreaming from the stands, she's fighting to make her dream a reality.